The MG P-type is a

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

that was produced by MG from 1934 to 1936. This 2-door sports car used an updated version of the

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-designed and made

overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

, crossflow engine, used in the 1928

Morris Minor The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in ...

and previously fitted in the J-type Midget of 1932 to 1934, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed non-synchromesh gearbox. The chassis was a strengthened and slightly longer version of that used in the J-type with suspension by half-elliptic springs all round with rigid front and rear axles. Steering was initially by a Marles Weller and later a Bishop Cam system. The two-seat car had a wheelbase of 87 inches (2210 mm) and a track of . Most cars were open two-seaters, but streamlined Airline coupé bodies were also made. The P-type was also available as a four-seater, a car that suffered from a lack of power and poor rear ground clearance. Whereas J, K and L-type MGs differentiated between versions with the use of numbers, with 1 indicating a four-seater (i.e., J1) and 2 a two-seater (i.e., J2), this was not the case with the P-type (or its six-cylinder sister, the N-type Magnette), and there is no clue to the type in the name.

MG PA

The first PA used an engine similar to the J-Type's, now with a 3-bearing crankshaft, improved camshaft, and twin OM-model SU

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

s. It produced at 5,500 rpm, allowing a top speed of approximately , and a 0– time of 20 seconds. In 1935, a two-seater roadster cost £222. 1,973 PAs were made, 27 of which were eventually converted to PBs. MG PA Airline Coupe rear.jpg, PA Airline coupé MG PA Airline Coupe.jpg, MG PA Airline Coupe sliding head.jpg, Sliding head

MG PB

The PB produced from 1935 had a bigger engine made by enlarging the bore from 57 to 60 mm and this increased the output to . Externally the versions are very similar, the main difference being the radiator grille, where the PA has a honeycomb and the PB has vertical slats. The other obvious difference is in the design and material of the standard dashboard. 526 examples of the PB were produced. In 1936 a supercharged MG PB driven by Andrew Hutchinson won the Limerick Grand Prix.

References

* MG Sportscars. Malcolm Green. CLB International. 1997 * A-Z of Cars of the 1930s. Michael Sedgwick and Mark Gillies. Bay View Books. 1989.

External links

{{commons category, MG P-Type
MG Car Club Triple-M RegisterVideo (1936 International Grand Prix)
P Cars introduced in 1934 1930s cars 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars Coupés Roadsters Rear-wheel-drive vehicles